


lucky

by yououui



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: F/M, Falling In Love, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Fluff, Hopeless Cloud
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:47:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23867761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yououui/pseuds/yououui
Summary: Aerith insists on staying up to help Cloud keep watch.The bit of moonlight that was able to get into the room reflected silver across her hair. He could still smell her flowers. Without understanding his own mind, he had a sudden urge to touch those soft strands, to see if her hair felt as beautiful as it looked. He pulled his glove off.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Cloud Strife
Comments: 16
Kudos: 279
Collections: Umbrella & Nailbat | Recs, clerith fanfics





	lucky

**Author's Note:**

> let Cloud run his fingers through Aerith's hair 2020
> 
> set vaguely after the ending of Final Fantasy VII Remake

Wood creaked under hesitant footsteps as the group slowly filed into the small shack behind Tifa. It was old and decaying and looked to be only moments from collapsing around them, but it at least offered some protection from the cold night air and droplets of rain that were slowly beginning to fall.

The room the front door opened to was small, barely big enough for them all to squeeze into. Water was dripping slowly to the wood floor through holes in the roof and there was a draft that left them all chilled. There was another door they followed Tifa to, one that was thankfully dry and significantly warmer, and even had a bed in the corner.

“Well, we might be dusty, but at least we can all get some sleep and stay dry,” Tifa told them with a positive smile. They’d learned not to be picky when traveling on this unknown journey that had no destination in sight. Just being able to sleep under a roof between inns they happened to find made all the difference in the world, and it had been quite a while since they had the luxury.

Barret collapsed heavily in the corner of the room with a hearty groan. “Good enough for me,” He grumbled lowly. Red XIII mirrored him and curled up on the opposite side of the room, his head resting on his paws and his eyes already closed to sleep.

“Are you sure you don’t want the bed tonight?” Tifa asked Barret.

He peered at her over the top of his sunglasses, then eyed the old bed wearily. “No thanks,” He said. “Pretty sure that thing’d break right under me.”

“Cloud?”

Cloud hadn’t fully stepped into the room, instead watching as everyone settled in from the doorway. At his name, he blinked and his eyes found Aerith, who was looking at him expectantly, her hand gestured to the bed in an offering.

He shook his head. “I’m gonna stay out here,” He said with a gesture to the area behind him. “Gotta keep watch.”

Tifa frowned and took a step towards him. “You sure? You haven’t gotten a chance to properly sleep in a while. I can keep watch this time if you—”

“I sleep enough,” He interjected as he turned to leave the room. He raised his palm with a nonchalant shrug. “I’m used to it. SOLDIER, remember?”

He only got one step out of the room when two hands closed around his wrist and pulled him to a stop. He turned to look over his shoulder and found Aerith holding him back, frowning at him. The room was dim, only lit by moonlight shrouded by rain clouds that streamed in through a dirty window, yet her eyes still managed to shine brilliantly green.

“But it’s so cold out there,” She told him worriedly.

With the hand she wasn’t occupying, Cloud pulled out an orb of faintly glowing fire Materia. “I’ll be fine,” He assured her, even lifting the corner of his lips a fraction to appease her.

She held onto him for a moment longer, looking very much like she didn’t believe him, but she eventually nodded and let him go. Cloud nodded at her and turned to leave again. “Then… Shall we share the bed?” He heard Tifa ask Aerith as he shut the door behind him.

Cloud removed his blade from his back and settled against a wall for the evening. He rubbed his eyes blearily and shook his head; honestly, he was feeling pretty tired. Even when they found inns with comfortable beds, he found himself lying awake most of the night, unable to go any deeper than a light doze. He needed to be aware and ready at all times, even if it left him a bit tired, so it was for the best if he couldn’t sleep even if he wanted to. He’d be fine, he told himself. He was used to it. He was a SOLDIER.

He pulled one knee up to his chest, his other leg laid straight in front of him, and draped an arm over it, let his head fall forward slightly and shut his eyes with a sigh to try and fall into a light sleep. Hopefully the others were comfortable tonight and the girls enjoyed sleeping in a bed for the first time in a while.

Only about an hour passed when Cloud was woken up. He sensed movement, then heard a quiet creak and felt footsteps approach him. He didn’t reach for his blade, didn’t flinch or even open his eyes. He knew that presence, and he knew it was no threat.

“You’re lucky I’m used to you,” He said quietly. “Otherwise sneaking up on me like that might have gotten your head chopped off.”

He heard a laugh, ringing like bells even while hushed. “Oh? ‘Used to me’? That’s an interesting way of saying we’re close.”

Cloud finally lifted his head and opened his eyes to Aerith, who stood over him with her hands behind her back and her lips pulled into an innocent smile. “What are you doing out here?” He asked her. His tone was soft, as soft as his eyes as he regarded her. Maybe he was too tired to fix her with the glare she deserved for being out of bed, or maybe it was for another reason.

“I couldn’t sleep,” She said as she sat down in the spot next to him, smoothing her skirt under her thighs and pulling her knees to her chest. “And I didn’t want to wake Tifa up with my tossing and turning, so I thought I could be on guard duty with you.”

Cloud sighed. “Still, just lying down can rest your body, even if you don’t sleep.” He gestured around the cold, dreary room. “Definitely a lot better than sitting out here.”

“ _You’re_ sitting out here,” Aerith countered with a sly smile.

Cloud side eyed her. “That’s different. I was trained to do this.”

“Okay then… How about you train me, too?” Aerith asked. She was grinning, her hands clasped together like she was somehow excited to be sitting on a dirty floor in a cold room all night. “Then I can help you!”

Cloud released a long, patient breath. “It’s not like it can just happen overnight,” He told her. “I trained for years to—”

He paused. He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his forehead, like a nail was being driven through his skull as he tried to remember his SOLDIER training. But… When did he train to do this? How did he learn how to stay on guard at all times, even when sleeping? How long did it take for him to accomplish this? He tried to remember even just one moment, shook his head like it could conjure a single memory, but… it was like the plug had been pulled. He couldn’t see anything, couldn’t hear anything, couldn’t remember anything, and the pain… this headache...

“Cloud?”

Cloud blinked when he heard Aerith’s voice, the pain in his head fading to a dull, ever-present throb. He looked at her, found her looking at him patiently. There was concern swimming below the surface of those impossibly green eyes.

“Your eyes…” Aerith said softly as she looked at him.

Cloud swallowed and nodded, averted his gaze. “Y-Yeah… It’s... Y'know, the mako.”

“No, not that,” Aerith said with a soft shake of her head. “It's just... You look really tired.”

“I-I’m fine. I’m used to it,” He insisted. He’d repeat it as many times as he needed to until everyone believed him, including himself. He cleared his throat and shrugged one shoulder. “A-Anyway, it’ll take a long time for you to learn.”

“Then let’s start tonight,” Aerith suggested with a nod. “I’ll start working on it now so I can help you quicker, and you can get some more rest! So, what do I need to do?”

Cloud leaned his head back until it thumped against the wall. He tried again to remember how he had trained, but the headache crept back. For some reason, he couldn’t remember how he did it, it just felt like he was always like this. So maybe…

“The mako has a lot to do with it,” He told her. Right, that made sense, of course. Mako made him like a war machine. Not as much training necessary… right? “But there’s a lot of mental gymnastics. Even when you’re relaxing, you gotta be on high alert. It’s important you never let yourself fall into a deep sleep.”

Aerith hummed and rocked back and forth, thinking. “It sounds… Really hard. I sleep like a log.” She offered him a sheepish smile, then shook her head and held her fists in front of her in a silent cheer for herself. “But I’ll try my best! Luckily, I have a great teacher!”

Cloud couldn’t help it. His lips turned up. “Heh.”

“Eh? Why are you laughing?!” Aerith cried, her voice raising just a bit from the hushed tones they had been speaking in. “You don’t think I can do it?!”

“I’m not laughing,” Cloud said with a shrug. 

“You are! You _so_ are!” She poked his cheek, just beside the corner of his still slightly smiling lips. “I can see you smiling, mister!”

Cloud grabbed the wrist of the hand poking him and eyed her with a raised brow, amused. “You know, if you want to be a good guard, you probably shouldn’t yell like that. You’ll call all the monsters to us.”

“Hmph.” Aerith pulled her wrist away and crossed her arms around her knees. “Meanie.”

“Is that how you should speak to your ‘great teacher’?” Cloud asked as he leaned his head back against the wall.

Aerith didn’t answer, she just stuck her tongue out at him, which only made him exhale another quiet laugh. This girl… The first moment they met, Cloud had felt for certain that she would never be the kind of person he could spend even a moment more with, so bright and personable. If nothing else, he was sure _she_ would grow tired of _him_ soon enough. And yet… He had also felt this inexplicable pull towards her. Despite only having learned her name after crashing into the church, it had felt like he had already known her his entire life at that point, already knew exactly how important she would be, already willing to do whatever she asked of him as long as he could see that smile.

Now he was certain that he could never go without her by his side.

“So,” Aerith said after a while of silence. “Always on high alert, even when you’re relaxing?”

“Yep,” Cloud said with a nod.

“So does that mean you were on high alert back when… we were picking flowers together, for instance?” She asked. She tilted her head, her long plait falling over her shoulder.

Cloud’s face flared hot for a moment. Why was she bringing that up now? “O-Of course.”

“Really?” Aerith asked with a tone of utter disbelief.

“Especially then,” Cloud said. “You had all those Turks chasing you.”

Aerith thought for a moment, then nodded. “Hmm… I suppose that’s true.” She laughed quietly behind her hand. “It’s nice to know my bodyguard is always so careful, even when he’s just picking flowers.”

“Ugh,” Cloud groaned as he ran a hand down his face. “Just drop it.”

Aerith laughed again. “Yes, sir,” She said with a nod. “We should be keeping watch. But don’t you worry, there will be more times for you to pick flowers.”

Cloud shook his head and didn’t entertain her with a response. But when he thought of it… Actually, picking flowers with Aerith again sounded nice. Peaceful. When this was all over, it sounded like a dream to be able to be in the middle of the flowerbeds again, able to enjoy their fresh scent and beauty without the constant alert. Able to truly relax and listen, just with her and the flowers.

_Learn to talk to her._

Cloud thought that maybe he wasn’t doing a very good job with that, but Aerith still didn’t seem sick of him, so… Maybe he was doing better than he thought. He’d have to wait and see what the flowers said next time.

They sat in silence like that for a while, and although Cloud had felt tired before, he now didn’t feel the urge to sleep. He liked sitting here with her, even though they weren’t saying or doing anything. It was comfortable.

He blinked when he noticed movement next to him and looked at Aerith, watched as her head drooped forward, then bobbed back up, then slowly began dropping again.

Cloud watched her do this a few more times, then sighed with a gentle shake of his head and an even gentler look in his eyes. Sometimes, she could act like such a fool… She said she couldn’t sleep, and now she was falling asleep immediately. Why make herself uncomfortable when she could have been in a warm bed?

She lifted her head again and tried to sit up straighter to keep herself awake, but then she started slowly tilting to the side, until she was leaning heavily into Cloud. Cloud blinked big eyes as her head got under his nose. Her hair somehow seemed to always smell like flowers, even after they’d just gone through hell without a decent shower. 

She listed to the side until her head fell onto Cloud’s shoulder, at which moment she immediately sat up straight. “I’m awake,” She said without even opening her eyes. Her head began falling forward again.

Cloud shook his head and put a hand on her shoulder to keep her upright. “Aerith, go back to bed.”

“Nope,” She said, and Cloud thought it was a wonder she could somehow still speak when she was so tired she couldn’t even open her eyes. “Gotta keep watch. Gotta…” She trailed off into a long yawn. “...stay awake.”

Cloud sighed and shrugged. “Fine then, stay on guard duty. But at least lie down here before you break your neck.” He gestured to the floor around them.

“Mmm… Good idea,” Aerith said groggily. She finally opened her eyes to shuffle along the floor, until she could lie down on her side.

Then, Aerith’s head landed on Cloud’s thigh.

Cloud stilled. He stared down at her with wide eyes and lips parted in shock. His whole body felt like a bow string drawn too tight, ready to snap at any moment. His eyes flicked all around the room, trying desperately to not look at her, but he couldn’t help it for long. He looked down at her head in his lap, her twisted hair trailing to the floor, her fringe splayed out across his dark pants.

Cloud’s heart hammered in his chest as he looked down at her, sleeping in his lap. He had scolded her earlier for being too loud, but he wouldn’t be surprised if someone found them just from being able to hear the way his heart was about to crack his ribs. It was a wonder Aerith herself didn’t wake up from the sound of it.

“Yeah… Much better,” Aerith murmured, already half-asleep.

Cloud swallowed and slowly, carefully, moved the knee that he had hiked up so both of his legs were lying flat on the ground to hopefully make things a bit more comfortable for her. Immediately, she hummed in appreciation and shifted a bit, laid her head as much across his lap as she could, even snuggled her face into his pants a bit to get more comfortable, and sighed in contentment. Shortly after, her breath slowed and grew deep as she fell fully asleep.

It felt like Cloud’s brain had shut off. His face was burning. His hand hovered over her, shaking for a reason he didn’t know. Whatever he had said earlier about always being on high alert felt like it had been said by an entirely different person; right now, all he could focus on was Aerith.

The bit of moonlight that was able to get into the room reflected silver across her hair. He could still smell her flowers. Without understanding his own mind, he had a sudden urge to touch those soft strands, to see if her hair felt as beautiful as it looked. He pulled his glove off.

Fingers trembling, he lowered his hand to her head. He brushed his fingers over her hair, just the whisper of a touch. He held his breath—he felt more terrified of waking her than he did rushing into a battle. He brushed over her hair a few times, but she didn’t stir, so he slowly moved his hand to smooth over her hair properly. It was soft. He’s not entirely sure what he expected—it was still just hair, after all. But… It was nice. He suddenly had the selfish wish that her hair could be let down, that he could spend the rest of the night brushing through the strands, that he could feel the weight of her hair sitting in his palms.

Cloud sensed a movement and lifted his eyes from Aerith. The bedroom door creaked open and he saw warm brown eyes peer out at him. Those overly familiar eyes blinked, and then the door opened wider to reveal Tifa, looking down at the two of them in surprise.

Cloud pulled his hand away from Aerith’s hair like he had been caught stealing. “Uh…”

Tifa offered him a pity smile and stepped out of the room. After quietly shutting the door behind her, she walked over to them and knelt in front of Aerith. When she saw that Aerith was asleep, she looked at Cloud.

“You two having a slumber party out here?” She whispered.

“Um… She said she couldn’t sleep and didn’t wanna wake you,” Cloud whispered back. “But… then she immediately fell asleep.”

Tifa laughed quietly and took Cloud’s place in stroking Aerith’s hair. “I think what she meant was that she couldn’t sleep without _you_ nearby.”

Cloud’s face was burning again. “H-Huh?” He looked away, setting his gaze fixedly at a spot above the door, keeping his lips pressed into a hard line. “Why wouldn’t she be able to…?”

If Cloud’s mind had shut off before, now it was running too quickly for him to keep up with.

“Come on, Cloud,” Tifa said, amused. She was mercifully not looking at him, but instead kept her eyes fixed on Aerith. “Sometimes you can be so dense.”

Cloud swallowed and looked down at Aerith, watched Tifa’s hand gently brush across soft brown hair. “I…” Cloud began, but he wasn’t sure what to say. He felt… happy. Guilty, too, if he was the reason Aerith normally couldn’t sleep, but happy. Embarrassed also, for the things Tifa noticed that he wasn’t aware of.

“We’re lucky to have her,” Tifa said quietly. Finally, she lifted her eyes to look at Cloud. “ _You’re_ lucky to have her.”

Cloud’s lips parted as his mouth fell open at Tifa’s words. The two simply looked at each other for a moment, until he lowered his gaze to look at Aerith again. Lucky… huh?

Tifa suddenly stood up, patting her hands over her knees to brush off dust. “I’d better get back to bed,” She said. She turned to walk back to the bedroom, but stopped just before opening the door to turn and look back at Cloud. “It’s kind of cold. Make sure she stays warm. And try to get some sleep yourself.”

With one last smile, Tifa disappeared into the bedroom. Cloud looked at the bedroom door until it closed, and then he looked back down at Aerith. 

He pulled out the orb of fire Materia and activated it, not enough to burn but just enough to glow brighter with warmth. He set the orb on the ground close to her, then brushed his hand over her hair again. This time, his fingers weren’t trembling, but steady as he felt her hair. Lucky. 

_“You can’t fall in love with me.”_

Right. It would be rather unlucky, wouldn’t it? To fall so quickly and deeply for this wonderful girl only to lose her. But…

“Nothing’s going to happen,” He whispered to himself.

They defeated destiny together. He hadn’t seen the vision since then, the one he could hardly piece together but knew ended in the worst fate he could ever hope for. And he would be there. He was blind to what their future held, but he knew in his very bones that no matter what, he would stay by her side. If destiny tried to rip them apart, then he would defy it again and again.

“Nothing’s going to happen,” He said again, a bit louder this time, to the both of them.

Aerith didn’t answer, still deep asleep.

Cloud nodded to himself, and continued stroking her hair until he fell into the best sleep he had had in a long time.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! come scream about how much you love them with me
> 
> [twitter](https://www.twitter.com/yououuii)  
> [tumblr](https://yououui.tumblr.com)


End file.
